This invention relates to interconnect structures and packaging technology for encapsulated devices. In particular, this invention relates to a method and device for providing electrical access to encapsulated MEMS devices which have been hermetically sealed.
Telephone and other communications devices require a large number of switches to form the connections to activate the telephone calls. In general, the switches may be configured to connect any input line to any output line, and may therefore form a “cross connect.” In order to miniaturize the component, the individual switches, of which there may be on the order of hundreds or even thousands, may be made using microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS. One common example of a MEMS switch usable for making a cross connect is a bi-metal strip, wherein two dissimilar metals are laminated against each other to form each of two arms of the bimetal switch. By applying a current to the arms of the switch, the bi-metal switch heats up. The different coefficients of thermal expansion of each material cause each arm of the bi-metal switch to bend in a particular direction, establishing or discontinuing contact with the other arm of the bi-metal switch, for example. Therefore, the plurality of switches may be activated by delivering current to each arm of the switch, in order to heat the switch and drive it to its closed (or open) position.
The voltages carried in the telephone connections can exceed 400 V, and because of the large number of lines being connected by the cross connect, the cross connect may be required to carry an ampere or more of current. Because of these current and voltage requirements, many telephone switches are hermetically enclosed in insulating gas environments which inhibit arcing between the high voltage lines. Such insulating gases may include, for example, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) or freons CCl2F2, or C2Cl2F4. The use of such insulating gases may increase the breakdown voltage compared to that of air by about a factor of three.
However, in order to seal the insulating gases in the switch device, the adhesive material which forms the bond between the substrate containing the electrical connections to the switches, and the cap layer which encloses the switch, must be a hermetic, i.e., non-leaking seal.
Furthermore, the electrical leads which provide electrical access to the switch device must be capable of carrying relatively high currents, and relatively high voltages. In order to keep the resistance low, and therefore the generated heat low, the electrical leads must be made relatively thick, and need to be well separated from each other in order to reduce capacitive coupling between the leads. The reduction in capacitive coupling is particularly important for leads carrying high frequency signals, such as telephone signals or radio frequency (rf) signals.
Therefore, for cross connect structures such as telephone switches, a relatively larger number, for example, 96 switches, need to be accessed electrically. As each switch may require a activation lead, a ground lead, and a signal line, a 96 switch device may require 96×2×3 electrical leads, or 576 electrical leads. If the two sides of the switch share a ground lead, this translates into 480 electrical connections. In order to avoid routing all of these electrical connections in a single plane out to bonding pads at the periphery of the device, the connections may be made by an interconnect, a structure with, for example, two or more parallel planes of conductor metallizations, separated by dielectric layers. Interconnections may then be made between the planes to access each of the electrical devices.